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The Telugu Desam Party has decided to observe a mass hunger strike across Andhra Pradesh on Sunday in protest against the ”illegal” arrest of party supremo and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Andhra Pradesh TDP president K Atchannaidu, in a statement on Saturday, requested the party cadres to participate in large numbers in all […]

The post Naidu’s arrest: TDP calls mass hunger strike first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday praised India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant for “negotiations” with China and Russia to reach consensus on a joint communique from G20 leaders on the bloc’s stance on Ukraine war. Taking to his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala said that it is […]

The post Tharoor praises G20 Sherpa’s negotiation with Russia, China first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

The Phoenix Phamily CD3 cover, insides & back – On the cover, clockwise from top left, that’s Tom & Jan Staebell, Gene & JoAnn Fioretti, Dolores & Don Brown and Jimi & Nancy Hopewell

CD3 Disc with an AI Generated Graphic of a Rock Band of Mythical Flaming Phoenix Birds

Wall O’Pix in our Chicago Studio – The Phoenix band members, Tom, Don, Jimi & Gene + their mates, bottom right, Jan, Dolores, Nancy & JoAnn – also pictured with the Phoenix Phamily, is Rich Bauer, left middle and Ed Chabot, right middle

Never Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll

LAS VEGAS, NV, UNITED STATES, September 8, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — These days we have plenty of great older Rockers to remind us that we’re never too old to Rock & Roll; Mick Jagger & Paul McCartney jump to mind. But sadly, there are also stark reminders that even those very young, or with youthful spirits, can leave us too soon; Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, Jones & Cobain, all gone @ 27.

During an interview with The Phoenix, they spoke of a surreal feeling they had while recording their cover tribute to The Traveling Wilburys’ End of The Line, “realizing Roy, George & Tom were there.” The Phoenix knows, all too well, how fragile the life of a band and it’s members can be. They lost their original drummer (Jim), had a guitarist (Rich) forced to quit due to health issues and recently the spouse (Dolores) of their guitarist and sound engineer (Don) passed away, leaving a palpable void in what they now refer to as their Phoenix Phamily.

The guys just completed their 3rd CD of tribute cover recordings and decided to dedicate this one, CD3, to Dolores. She’s featured on the inside cover and the last 3 tunes were planned, recorded and dedicated to honor and memorialize her sweetly joyful spirit.

Listening to them talk about their recording process, it’s apparent they’ve been at this a long time and they clearly enjoy doing it together. The guys are mostly retired from professional careers as business executives, engineers and even a MD cardiologist. They live all over, Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas and BC Canada, and yet, they manage to stay close and current through regular Zoom sessions. The band is not a money making endeavor for them, indeed they told me it’s about constantly spending money and, more importantly, time doing what they love, making music together.

The fine print around the edge of their new CD3 disc says it well: “The Phoenix is a not-for-profit Rock & Roll Band established in Winona, Minnesota in 1968 and still recording their classic tribute performances for their own enjoyment and to share with Family, Friends & Fans…”

Btw, about the crazy graphic on the CD3 disc; it’s an AI generated image of a rock band consisting of actual mythical flaming Phoenix birds. Apparently the guy that did it (Jimi) likes it, Don tolerates it, Tom doesn’t care and Gene is embarrassed by “whatever it is.” “A healthy consensus & resolution process,” said Jimi, “that’s a key element to keeping such a group of humans together for so long.”

Having listened to all 3 of their CD’s and after watching their videos on their Facebook Fan Page and YouTube Channel, it’s fair to say these guys are good. Some of the tunes they’ve covered are very demanding, especially the Moody Blues orchestrated pieces that they’ve meticulously reproduced, always with a spin of their own. It’s impressive how they’ve been able to produce a recorded sound & feeling as though they were all in the studio together playing live. Their performances can be checked out on Facebook and YouTube.

From the beginning in 1968: Don (guitar), Gene (keys, guitar), Tom (bass), Rich (guitar) and Jim (drums), friends from Saint Mary’s College, in Winona, Minnesota, formed The Phoenix rock band in the Fall of 1967. These were booming years for (what we now call) Classic Rock and these guys were in the thick of it; playing covers of their favorite band’s hits for enthusiastic college crowds.

After graduation, as often happens, everyone went their separate ways across the US & Canada; embarking on their careers, getting married and starting families. Through it all, they kept playing with a string of other bands. As fate would have it, some of those bands were in Chicago where Don & Jimi (current drummer) met and played together for years.

2014: The unfortunate passing of The Phoenix original drummer, Jim Rauer, was a tragic catalyst bringing the guys back together and igniting the idea for a reunion. Don tracked Jimi down in Vegas and they set a date for a week long reunion filled with catching up and a whole lot of playing & recording.

Since then annual reunions followed in 2017, 2018 & 2019 (2020 was canceled. You know why). Each year the band recorded some of their old covers as well as some new work, including an original written by a friend from St. Mary’s, Ed Chabot.

In order to keep the music going between reunions, the guys developed a process for recording remotely. They Zoom for about an hour a couple times a month to discuss all the tunes in process and what they’re going to cover next. They strive for a holistic sound as though they were playing live together. It was a bit of a learning curve, but each contributor has equipment and ability to digitally record their performance then send tracks to the Master Mixer/Producer Extraordinaire – Don Brown who tirelessly works to keep things on track while building their mixes. Friends of The Phoenix have contributed their talents to their recordings as well – Ed Chabot, vocals and slide; Dan Nelson, vocals; Michael Sullivan, pedal steel; Richard Schoen, Jim Gilbert, Lisa Lombardy & Hunter Hopewell on vocals, to name a few. The guys always enjoy & appreciate having these talented performers on board.

To date The Phoenix has 60+ tunes in the can and 15+ music videos, which you can see on their Facebook Fan Page and YouTube Channel, with many more to come…

It’s cool realizing these guys have been playing together for 55+ years; they definitely have a strong brotherly bond centered around music which lifts their spirits and keeps them young at heart – Rock On!

Hunter James
Cre8ive Network, llc
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The Rajasthan High Court has issued a show-cause notice to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking suo moto criminal contempt proceedings against him over his “corruption” in the judiciary remarks. The litigation was filed by local advocate Shivcharan Gupta on Thursday following Gehlot’s remark alleging corruption in the country’s judiciary. […]

The post HC notice to Gehlot over judicial corruption remark first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By K Raveendran Barring platitudes, the joint statement between India and the US in the wake of President Joe Biden’s talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit is heavily loaded in favour of the United States rather than the other way around. Biden has done an aggressive sales pitch […]

The post Biden Makes An Aggressive Sales Pitch, May Be Taking A Few Orders Home first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Dr. Gyan Pathak Newly constituted INDIA alliance of 28 opposition political parties and refurbished NDA of 39 political parties led by BJP had just tasted the fruit of their first ever electoral battle. INDIA alliance has emerged stronger in 4 of the six states where byelections were held, by winning 4 of the seven […]

The post INDIA Alliance Scored Over NDA In Its First Electoral Battle After Birth first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

By Arun Srivastava A bad omen indeed. On the day the entire state machinery of ‘Bharat’ was busy exploiting the G20 event to project Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “Yugpurush” and “Vishwaguru”, via decorating the national capital with larger than life cut-outs and festoons, even bigger than any of the world leaders participating at […]

The post Ghosi Bypoll Defeat During G-20 Summit Is A Personal Jolt For PM first appeared on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

An immersive phygital experience in IMDA PIXEL by Smobler,
The Sandbox, Unstoppable Domains and Ledger in collaboration with Clay Nation

SINGAPORE, September 8, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Smobler, a leading metaverse architect headquartered in Singapore, has announced the debut of its phygital experience, NOVA. The event will take place at IMDA Pixel Innovation Center on September 12, ahead of TOKEN2049 and Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023.

NOVA is a celebration of the communities that are created by and connected with the Smobler ecosystem. It is an in-real-life (IRL) experience hosted in sync with large-scale crypto & web3 events to allow community members around the world to come together to meet, interact and foster collaborations in the burgeoning open metaverse.

The inaugural edition of NOVA is presented by Smobler together with The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands; Unstoppable Domains, the largest web3 domain name provider and digital identity platform; and Ledger, the most trusted hardware wallet provider, in collaboration with Clay Nation, a multi-dimensional clay animation and digital collectible project.

“The metaverse is not a replacement of the real world but an augmentation of the varied identities we already inhabit. As we create more immersive, interoperable and pandemic proof experiences in the digital space, we still believe in the transformative power of human capital. We should never underestimate the value of a firm handshake and a genuine smile across the room. The best ideas in the world begin with a simple hello,” says Loretta Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Smobler.

“It is important to show how the metaverse is an extension of our physical world where anyone can be creative and make connections in an inclusive virtual space to learn new skills and prepare themselves for future jobs in the digital economy. The NOVA phygital experience organized by Smobler in the heart of IMDA’s PIXEL demonstrates how Singapore is participating in this digitization movement and creating a blueprint for others to follow,” says Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox.

Smobler, a portfolio company of The Sandbox, has been onboarded into IMDA Pixel since June. The hub is 28,000 square feet of innovation space for ideation, experimentation and is one of the top ten launchpads in Southeast Asia.

NOVA will commence with a performance led by Andy Benjamin Cai, a veteran dancer who was chosen as the Chief Choreographer for the Singapore National Day Parade 2017 and 2022. He says, “Loretta gave me my first big break into professional theater fifteen years ago. She is known for exploring new artistic expressions, pushing the boundaries of creativity with intention, imagination and fun! I am ecstatic to pay it forward with budding creators and experimental technology!”

There will be a panel discussion moderated by Chen on “Trust Matters: Building in a Broken World”, joined by Borget, Alexandre Lemarchand, Vice President of Global Sales of Ledger, Lenna Onto, Founder and CEO of Clay Nation and Sandy Carter, COO of Unstoppable Domains.

Carter, who recently launched her book “The Tiger and The Rabbit: Harnessing the Power of the Metaverse, Web3, and AI for Business Success, A Business Fable” will share valuable lessons on digital identity, community, and data ownership as well as conduct a book signing.

“This event is powerful as it brings together the ecosystem. The power of digital identity in Web3 is a transformative force when embraced collectively by partners and users. It is the cornerstone that builds trust, enables secure interactions and empowers individuals to take control of their online presence.” Adds Sandy Carter, COO of Unstoppable Domains, “Together, we are not just navigating the digital frontier; we are shaping it, forging a path towards a more decentralized, secure, and user-centric online world.”

Another highlight of the event is the exhibition of Light and Brilliance (光宗耀祖) by Singaporean artist y/x and the launch of its digital equivalent in The Sandbox. y/x whose real name is Chua Koon Beng is also CEO of Spa Esprit Group, one of Singapore’s best known lifestyle companies,

“This is the first time that I am planning and presenting a phygital exhibition. I am heartened to be able to bring to the audience a series of works paying tribute to the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. This will be a deep and rich experience through a The Sandbox game that will reach out to a younger demographic across geographies alongside a physical exhibition at the Four Seasons.”

There will also be attractive giveaways and performances by Singaporean entertainers Leland and Inch Chua who will be announcing her Music For Good partnership with Smobler and The Sandbox.

NOVA is on for one day only from 10am to 2pm.

To reserve your spot, log on to https://nova2023.peatix.com/

Gianna Bui
Smobler
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Spaceport Launches Threadless Apparel on Roblox

Thousands of real-life Threadless designs are now available in the Metaverse across all Roblox experiences

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, September 7, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Spaceport, the premier universal IP licensing platform, today announces the launch of Threadless t-shirts and apparel on the Roblox Marketplace. This launch opens new opportunities for both Threadless and Roblox users – enhancing immersive 3D experience with physical fashion options and providing significant exposure for Threadless and the community of talented artists behind the designs.

With over 20 years in e-commerce, Threadless has partnered with hundreds of thousands of artists, promoting their independent art on apparel, wall art, accessories and more to millions of fans around the world. Through the collaboration, Spaceport has integrated hundreds of real-life clothing designs from Threadless artists on the Roblox Marketplace as one of the largest branded collections on the platform.

“It’s so exciting to see artwork by the Threadless artist community embraced and celebrated within Roblox,” said Jake Nickell, Founder and CEO of Threadless. “Partnering with Spaceport has enabled us to quickly bring our artists’ designs to millions of Roblox players, and to further expand the reach of their work in a meaningful way through this new platform.”

Roblox offers an immersive global platform where 66 million users connect and communicate daily. Connecting users through millions of shared virtual experiences, such as hangouts and spaces for gameplay, the platform allows brands to bring their experience to millions of people anywhere in the world. Roblox is also a place for self-expression – with over half of Gen-Zers changing their avatar’s clothing at least once a week (Roblox), and 20 percent of users changing clothing daily (Vogue Business). The option to wear branded virtual clothing provides a new way for users to reflect their real-world aesthetic within the metaverse.

“This deal offers Threadless artists a unique opportunity to showcase their talents and reach new audiences,” said Peter Betts, Founder of Established Licensing. “While traditionally only the most prominent brands could afford the resources to execute these integrations, Spaceport levels the playing field for creators and brands of all sizes.”

Threadless’s venture into Roblox and the metaverse leverages Spaceport’s blockchain-backed smart licensing protocol that can rapidly integrate thousands of Threadless’s iconic designs into any virtual or physical marketplace. With the ability to activate IP assets at over 10x the scale of other platforms, all while maintaining an incredibly cost-effective approach, Spaceport’s smart licensing protocol is continuing to curate and roll out a catalog of over 35,000 assets in what is the largest physical-to-digital bridge of buyable retail assets ever made.

“Spaceport was created to redefine the way brands bring their intellectual property to life in both the physical world and the metaverse, and to do so with a platform that seamlessly, cost-efficiently, and rapidly takes brands to market,” said Le Zhang, Founder and CEO of Spaceport. “Our integration of Threadless’s IP into millions of Roblox experiences is yet another step towards bridging the gap between physical and digital intellectual property.”

The Threadless-branded digital apparel is available for purchase on the Roblox Marketplace and can be used in every Roblox experience. Roblox community members can now discover real-life Threadless designs and adorn their avatars with unique art from the Threadless community. The Threadless-branded digital shirts and hats are available to be obtained using Roblox currency, Robux. Royalties from Roblox purchases will be exchanged from Robux and paid out in US dollars to Threadless artists.

About Spaceport
Spaceport is accelerating the growth of the next digital economy by building tools for creators, brands and agencies to monetize their intellectual property. With a mission to break down the real-world limitations of IP, Spaceport offers a universal licensing catalog that enables greater deal velocity and provides exposure to a broad cross-section of digital and physical licensing opportunities. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

About Threadless
Founded in 2000, Threadless is an e-commerce company and global online community of artists and those who support them. The Threadless Artist Shops platform makes selling art online easier, allowing individuals and companies to create their own custom-branded online store, sell their best designs in the Threadless Marketplace, and have opportunities to sell in offline retail stores.

Craig Zevin
Spaceport
craig@getspaceport.com
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